Nasa shares FIRST-EVER deep space image from James Webb Space Telescope today – as fans brace for ‘alien photobomb’

NASA has revealed the stunning first image collected by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The first in a series of images to be released this week, it is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, chair of the National Space Council, were on hand for the big reveal on Monday.

"This first image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date," Nasa said of the image.

"Known as Webb’s First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail.

"Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb’s view for the first time."

"You’re seeing galaxies that are shining around other galaxies whose light has been bent. And you’re seeing just a small little portion of the universe."

Nasa went on to say that the slice of the vast universe covers a "patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground."

The agency said capturing the image was all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope as capturing it took less than a day.

The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas Day in 2021.

It has spent the last seven months parked 1,000,000 miles from Earth, unfolding its sunshield, calibrating the tech onboard, and adjusting to the challenging temperatures of space.

Its aim is to uncover the hidden depths of our universe, peering at the faint light of early stars and galaxies created after the Big Bang some 250 million years.

The first images captured by the James Webb were presented on and on Nasa's socials during a speech by President Biden.

Additional images are expected to be released on Tuesday at 10.30am during a joint event in Maryland with Nasa, ESA (European Space Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).